Zimbabwe To Unveil HIV Sustainability Plan Amid US Funding Withdrawal

The government of Zimbabwe is set to unveil an HIV sustainability plan to address funding issues following the suspension of development partner support due to United States President Donald Trump’s Executive Order.

Speaking at a two-day editors’ workshop organized by the National AIDS Council (NAC) in Chinhoyi recently, the Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care, Aspect Maunganidze, said Zimbabwe has taken active steps to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of US funding. He said:

This workshop comes at a time when our health delivery system is at crossroads given the abrupt cessation of funding from some of our foreign partners.

As a Ministry, we have already taken steps to ensure that our people are not severely affected especially those taking antiretroviral therapy.

Part of these steps include budget allocation, budget reprioritisation, national health insurance and others to ensure that our health programmes continue to function and to serve our people as before.

I am glad that the move by the United States government came when we were already engaged in processes to develop an HIV sustainability plan, which will be ready soon.

Before the Trump administration’s executive order, the United States provided significant aid funding for HIV and AIDS through programmes such as PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).

Launched in 2003, PEPFAR became the world’s largest health initiative targeting a single disease, delivering life-saving antiretroviral therapy to millions of people in over 50 countries.

The programme dramatically reduced AIDS-related deaths and improved access to treatment, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Funding was also channelled through organisations like USAID and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which supported HIV research, prevention, and treatment programmes globally.